Desert Night
by Jeanniebird
Summary: Jubilee and Wolverine share a moment after Jubilee was captured by Bastion and Logan muses about his relationship with this girl who changed his life.


_This is a short oneshot staring Jubilee and Wolverine is based on a scene in Wolverine #117. It belongs to a series of oneshots where I tried to show Wolverine's relationship with some of the most important people in his life._

_I want to thank two people who made it possible for me to write and post this here: Wolverette, who spend her time going through some of the old books and helping me with the research, and my beta Wolvierules88 for her outstanding work as a my beta, helping improve my writing skills. Thank you both, I never could have done this without you._

_Disclamer: I don't own neither Wolverine nor Jubilee or any of the other characters you recognize, Marvel does. But they need to take better care of their toys, because they are tempting…_

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Adrenaline was running through his veins. Worry was choking him. And that wasn't very helpful if you were running through the desert in the middle of the night as if you were running for your life. But Logan was running for a much more important reason than that. The night was as cold as it was typical for the desert as soon as the sun went down. His breath formed little clouds in front of his mouth, but despite the cold he was sweating and his whole body was practically steaming in the night air. Logan's breathing was irregular and he was panting for oxygen. That wasn't surprising considering he had run seven miles through the desert at top speed without rest. And he wouldn't rest until he found her.

The worry for Jubilee was like a thorn digging into his heart. On the first glance the desert around him seemed to be peaceful but Logan knew he was near the Hulkbuster Base. He could come across a Prime Sentinel at any time. Every now and then he had to evade the patrols searching the area for him and the other X-Men. And of course for Jubilee. She must have been the one who gave them the chance to escape from the Bastion's base. Who else out of everyone there would have opened that door to freedom for them, and afterwards even manage to pull off a miracle and escape that hell-hole on her own.

After all, the slight desert breeze had carried her scent right to him.

Now Wolverine owed this young girl his life yet again. She had saved him countless times, from enemies and from himself. In fact, she had even saved his life when they first met. At that time he had been captured and crucified by the Reavers who tortured him for days. Jubilee had helped him to evade them when he finally tore himself off the cross, and it was Jubes who had nursed him back to health. Since then they had been inseparable. Jubilee was everywhere he went, if he wanted her there or not. She alone had been able to break through the facade of the gruff Canadian and had found in him the father she had lost. He cared for her like nobody else, he even brought her to the mall if she wanted to go shopping, and she was the only one who had ever managed that. She was like a daughter to him, couldn't have been more of a daughter if his blood was running in her veins.

She had rescued him many times. Not only physically in the countless battles they had fought in, side by side as X-Men, but she had also saved him from himself. Jubilee was always able to calm him down, even when he had completely lost himself to the beast within. The animal sometimes prowled just beneath the surface, clawing at his mind. Always stalking, waiting for that rage to cut the chains which held it in the dark corners of his mind. Jubes had always been stronger, always able to soothe him, bring him back when a berserker rage seized his mind. He would have gutted most people in this state, but Jubilee was able to walk up to him, lay a hand upon his arm and talk to him until he regained control.

Vividly he remembered such an occasion, when Jubilee had held him back so he wouldn't attack Lila Cheney. Deathbird wanted to take the throne of the Shi'ar form her sister Lilandra, who was Charlie's girlfriend. She had tried to capture the X-Men. But Logan held Lila Cheney, a teleporter, responsible for the X-Men suddenly finding themselves in space. He had nearly attacked her, but Jubilee had grabbed him and held him back. Nobody else would have pulled that stunt and lived to tell the tale, only Jubilee.

They did indeed have a special bond with each other. Logan, who was normally gruff and dismissive toward others and never led anyone disturb his solitude, never complained about Jubilee's endless talking or the pranks she played on everyone. Jubilee on the other hand was very attached to him, joining him on his adventures and wasn't bothered by his foulest moods. Logan let her get away with nearly everything, while Jubilee defended his honor against anyone who dared to complain about his‚ 'growly mood' or otherwise bad behavior. She could be downright protective when it came to 'her Wolvie'. Logan would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to that Jubes.

Logan was distracted from his musing by a flash of light on the horizon. Exactly what he had been looking for, although he was disappointed to spot this phenomenon. He could have just followed her scent; seeing Jubes' fireworks in the night sky meant that she was in danger. The cold hand of fear closed its grip even more tightly around Logan's heart and he accelerated yet again. Because of the fact that Magneto had pulled the adamantium from his bones he was lighter and therefore able to run faster. That was probably the only good thing which came out of that affair. It might be the difference between Jubilee's survival or death.

Now Logan was able to spot the shadow of a Prime Sentinel that stood over Jubilee. He couldn't remember ever running that fast. Then again, remembering had never been his strong suit. But he was willing to lose his memories all over again if it would just ensure Jubilee's survival. She was getting up and running away from the Sentinel as fast as possible, hoping to escape the hybrid of machine and man. But luck wasn't on her side and her foot got caught in the hole of a prairie dog, she stumbled and fell to the ground. The Sentinel chasing her quickly closed the distance between itself and its target. Right at the moment the Prime Sentinel stood menacingly over the girl and locked its targeting system on her, Wolverine finally reached the scene. With a snarl he launched himself at the hybrid machine, landing on its back. It didn't stand a chance. Before the Sentinel had the opportunity to shrug Wolverine off and start a counter attack, the three bone claws of its animalistic adversary had been driven into its head.

Before the Sentinel even hit the ground Logan sprang off the corpse, landing in a crouched position. A growl was still rumbling deep in his throat, caused by the fight and the worry for Jubilee. Said girl now looked up to him. "Wolvie?" she asked weakly, as if she had to assure herself that he was real. She slowly rose and stood in front of him on weak knees. "Don't say anything, Wolvie. Just hold me tight," she pleaded. She seemed incredibly lost at that moment. Logan stepped toward her and hugged her as if he planned to never let her go again. And at this moment, he really didn't.

Tears of relief poured from Jubilee's eyes. After all the fear and the suffering at Bastion's merciless hand, she felt finally truly safe again. She hugged Logan closer, knowing that this man wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice his own life to save her. The feeling was mutual. But right now, such extremes weren't required. Logan had rescued Jubilee more subtly, with his mere presence, and the support he offered. She could rest assured that he would always be there when she needed him. He would always come if she asked, he had proven that many times.

For minutes the two of them simply stood, holding each other. One, relieved that after the treatment she'd received in Bastion's 'care', she was finally reunited with the man who, despite all odds, had become a second father to her. The other, glad that he knew his 'daughter' was safe. Finally the Jubilee tried to move in the grip of her protector. Logan released her a little bit, but didn't let her go entirely. Jubilee turned in his hug until she was able to see the Logan's face. "Bastion showed me some horrible images. He said all the X-Men were dead. He said he hoped I would give away vital information on the X-Men, if he broke me this way." She paused to use her sleeve to wipe away the tears on her cheeks, which had begun to flow again with the memory. That wasn't as easy as it sounded because in the stubborn, protective way Wolverine refused to let her any further out of his grip. "He also showed me a video where you were being tortured. On one of the tapes you begged for mercy. I laughed in his face as I saw it because you would never beg for mercy. At that moment, he couldn't fool me any longer." A small smile crept across Logan's face as he heard that.

"It was so much worse when he showed us the original tapes, after he had captured you. He said you were dead. And…and it was just horrible." She began to cry again. Wolverine pulled her more tightly to his chest and finally answered. "That was just my healing coma. My body had shut down, you know how that goes. I figure we owe you for giving us our chance to escape." Jubilee nodded against his chest. She was the one that had opened the door for the X-Men so they were able to flee the Hulkbuster base. Jubilee pressed herself against Logan's body as if she was trying to phase into his chest like Kitty and never come back.

"I am so proud of you, Jubilee" he whispered. A comfortable, warm glow lit up inside her chest and spread throughout her body. The warmth chased away the cold emptiness Bastion had left behind. It felt wonderful to know that 'her Wolvie' was proud of her. "Thank you, Logan," she answered, her face still turned into his chest. She was certain he could hear her anyway, with his enhanced hearing. She had used his real name to emphasize how important that declaration was to her.

"Come on, we should finally head back to the others. The X-Men and I were about to go destroy a laboratory where they build the prime sentinels when I caught your scent. We were in the middle of a briefing. Scott will be mad at me for leaving without saying a single word, I'm certain," Logan commented, and despite everything that had happened to her the past several days she simply had to grin. "Leaving without saying a single word as to where you're going is your specialty, isn't it?" she teased, and could feel the affectionate growl she got as an answer clearly in his chest.

Finally Logan released his grip on the young girl. "I think it will be best if I carry you, he said. "You're in no condition to walk ten miles through the desert." Jubilee didn't make any attempt to argue with that statement. She didn't have the energy for a fight anyway. Without a single word Jubilee climbed on the back of the Canadian and wrapped her arms around his neck. With no further discussion, because it wasn't needed, the unequal pair disappeared in the darkness of the desert night to rejoin there family which was already waiting for them.

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_Feedback is very appreciated._


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